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We’ve seen these fights before inside the GOP, going back to those conservatives who supported Bob Taft in 1952 and those moderates who supported Dwight Eisenhower. Later, it was between Nelson Rockefeller and Barry Goldwater. In 1976, the moderate pragmatists supported Gerald Ford while the conservatives who were devoted to principles supported the Gipper. Again in 1980, the pragmatists were for George Bush or Howard Baker while the principled populists again supported Reagan.

The fight over Judge Sotomayor is simply the extension of this debate within the Republican Party. It always breaks down along ideological, cultural and philosophical lines. The insiders argue politics while the outsiders argue principles. It’s always the same; the insiders argue “sophistication” and “accommodation” while casting aspersions on the outsider populists who are more devoted to principles. The moderates argue for riding the back of the tiger while the conservatives believe this is foolish as eventually, the tiger will consume them. In the past, these “dime store New Dealers” as Goldwater derisively referred to them, always chose the policies of the opponents of conservatism, from the Cold War to taxes, abortion, growth of government and now Sotomayor.

Embarrassed over their lack of principles and courage, they’ve always resort to smears and name calling, of Taft, Goldwater, Reagan, Gingrich, Limbaugh and other conservatives in order to curry the favor of the liberal elites. At the end of the day however, the learned populists have always been proven right and the unwashed elitists have always been wrong. Conservatives know politics should chase principles and not the other way around. Moderates, as Reagan said, should be taken in moderation.

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